Making Progress
by coastal-spirit
Summary: Several months before their wedding, the relationship between Akito and Shigure is still very much a work-in-progress. Set post-series; contains spoilers for the whole of the Fruits Basket manga series. Characters featured: Akito, Shigure, Hatori.
1. Prologue: The night before

Author's notes: Chapter 1 is just a short prologue, to give the reader background for the story which continues in more detail in Chapter 2.

There are no original characters in this story - Akito's elderly maid was a familiar character in the manga; and I chose to give her the name of Tanaka Miyoko, which is a fairly generic Japanese name, as it was easier for me to write about her if she had a name.

Comments, constructive criticism, and praise, however faint, are all greatly desired and will be appreciated.

~:~:~:~

Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki and Hakusensha; English-language versions by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). This piece of fiction is in no way approved or endorsed by any of the copyright holders.

~:~:~:~

_Prologue – The night before_

Their quarrel was both unexpected and vicious.

Akito had been asked to peruse the list detailing housing arrangements for the wedding, which was still several months away. Pacing the room, she remarked, with some surprise, that someone had seen fit to house Kureno and Arisa in Kureno's old rooms.

Shigure, who was sitting close by reading his book, said quite mildly, with only a slight edge to his voice, "How convenient."

It could have easily been taken as a joke if either one of them had been in the mood to defuse the tension. However, Akito was tired and her nerves were already on edge from the seemingly unending wedding preparations, and she recognized that tone only too well. She became prickly and defensive. In turn, Shigure became nastily, bitingly, sarcastic. The argument escalated quickly.

The thing that drove Akito over the edge – the thing that triggered the blind rage, the desire to _hurt_, which she had not felt in many months, and which she had been trying so hard to keep in check – was when Shigure said, "Well now, Akito-_san,_ if you're planning on sleeping with Kureno before or after the wedding, do you think it would be possible to reserve the wedding night for _me_?"

Akito lunged for his face, claws out. He was ready for her this time, and he dropped his book and grabbed her wrists before she made contact. He didn't really hurt her, of course, but she struggled, and he said, _"Stop it, Akito!"_ in a tone that made her feel like a naughty child as he tightened his grip on her. When he finally let her go, she collapsed in a heap on the floor, sobbing in humiliation. He walked across the room, and then turned in the doorway and said in the mocking tone that he often used, "How unfortunate that Kureno isn't here to clean up the mess on the floor," and left. He did not return that night.

Hearing her sobs, her maids rushed to her rooms to see what was wrong. Akito, who was in full temper by now, screamed at them to stay away from her, threw the book that Shigure had dropped, and refused to let anyone in the room, even old Miyoko.

In the end, Miyoko went to Hatori, and begged him to come, saying that Akito-san was "upset" and that she needed him. And of course, Hatori came. He picked Akito up off the floor, and hugged her; and sat her down on her futon and wiped away her tears. He sat down next to her and told that he was going to give her something to calm her, and demanded, quite sternly, that she take it. He rubbed her back until she calmed a bit and then asked her what had happened, and when she told him, he sighed.

He looked at her very seriously and said, "Shigure may be, at times, difficult to deal with, Akito, but if you intend to make a life with him, you'll have to learn how. You'll never find anyone who will love you more steadfastly and with more passion than he will; that's for certain. We've all indulged you far too much for far too long; you need to grow up and stop acting like a spoiled child." Akito looked at him in surprise. Hatori hadn't scolded her _since_ she was a child, and at the unexpected harshness of his words, she felt tears well up in her eyes again. This must have given him pause, as he continued, in a much kinder tone, "Perhaps I should have said that _both_ of you need to grow up. I know that you have good reason to be upset by what Shigure said to you, but there's no need to make yourself sick over it, Akito. Throwing things and screaming at people isn't going to solve anything. You haven't indulged in that kind of behavior for a long time, and you don't need to now. I'm sure that you realize that, now that you've calmed down."

Then Akito cried again, and hugged Hatori; and he said that what he had given her would help her to sleep. He gently told her that she was to lie down and he would stay with her until she fell asleep, and then he would leave. She never woke until the next morning, and while she was picking at her breakfast, she heard one of the maids tell Miyoko that Shigure was back and having breakfast with Hatori.


	2. Early the next morning

Author's note: There are no original characters in this story - Akito's elderly maid was a familiar character in the manga; and I chose to give her the name of Tanaka Miyoko, which is a fairly generic Japanese name, as it was easier for me to write about her if she had a name.

Comments, constructive criticism, and praise, however faint, are all greatly desired and will be appreciated.

~:~:~

Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki and Hakusensha; English-language versions by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). This piece of fiction is in no way approved or endorsed by any of the copyright holders.

~:~:~

_Early the next morning_

Hatori rose early and showered and dressed, as was his habit, even though he had not returned to his rooms until after 1:00 am. He was planning to go and check on Akito later, but for now, he wanted nothing more than to sip his tea, read his newspaper, and eat his breakfast in peace.

He was just starting in on a second cup when he heard a _thump_ on the porch outside his door, followed a few seconds later by, "Owww!" It was an unmistakable voice. Hatori groaned. _No. NO. Why me? Why now? _He had the sudden childish impulse to grab his breakfast, run, and lock himself in his office. No. He had always been the "responsible" one. He sighed, pushed himself to his feet and stepped out onto the porch.

Shigure was sitting there, rubbing his chin. He looked disheveled and very tired. Despite this, he looked up at Hatori, gave him a big smile, and said cheerfully, "Good morning, Haa-san!"

_Good morning to you, too, Merry Sunshine._ Hatori did not smile back."What do you want, Shigure? Why are you here?"

"That's not very friendly, Haa-san. I thought I might be able to get some breakfast. And a bath." Shigure wrinkled his nose. "As you can undoubtedly tell, I'm badly in need of one."

"Then why don't you go to your own rooms?" Hatori looked down at him.

"Haaaaa-san!" Hatori honestly did not think that _anyone_, not even Ayame at his worst, could possibly be more annoying than Shigure when he adopted that whiny tone. "I can't. Akito was being mean to me!" Shigure gave him an innocent, injured, look.

Hatori momentarily felt the same murderous impulse that he'd felt at the age of four, when Shigure had teased three- year-old Kureno until he cried, and then whined when Kureno kicked him in retaliation. They had been standing on this very porch. _That_ time, Hatori had pushed Shigure off the porch, jumped on top of him and pummeled him. Shigure had cried; Hatori had cried; Kureno and Ayame had been so alarmed that they cried too, and went running to fetch Hatori's father. Hatori's father had been _most _displeased. _No, I guess that won't do at all. __He__ may be acting like a four-year-old, but I don't intend to. _ Instead, he gave Shigure a hard look and said, "From what I understand, it was quite the opposite." He turned around and went back into his room.

Shigure followed him. "What do you mean, 'From what I understand'? Who have you been talking to?"

At that moment, the serving girl came in to clear Hatori's breakfast dishes. She stopped and looked at his mostly-untouched breakfast, stared at Shigure, and said, "Oh, Hatori-san; I didn't know that you were going to have … company."

"Neither did I; but evidently, I am." Hatori looked at Shigure and shook his head. He said, " Would you please bring us both some breakfast and a fresh pot of tea? I'm sure that this is all quite cold by now." She nodded. She stared one more time at Shigure, then quickly cleared the dishes and left the room.

"Well, now, Haa-san, she certainly made a hasty retreat. I wonder just how long it will be before everyone in the Main House knows that you're having 'company' for breakfast, hmmmm? News certainly seems to travel fast around here."

"She most likely made a hasty retreat because you _reek_, Shigure. You smell as if you just crawled out of a sake bottle. I hope you're planning to sit as far away from me as possible." Hatori looked thoroughly disgusted. "Where have you been, anyway?"

Shigure looked rather affronted. "I _told_ you I needed to clean up. And since when did you become my mother?" He rolled his eyes. "Come to think of it, I haven't had to answer to _her_ since I was about 12, so ..."

"If you didn't _act _like a 12-year-old, then I wouldn't _treat_ you like one." Hatori said severely. "Where were you? You were needed here." Something suddenly occurred to Hatori, something almost too unthinkable to consider. "Shigure, you haven't been with …" he paused, wondering just how to word this, and finished, rather lamely, "anyone?"

"What?" It took a moment to register. Shigure stared at Hatori. "No, of course I haven't. I may act like an idiot at times, Hatori, but I assure you, I'm not _that_ stupid."

The serving girl came in with breakfast and the pot of tea. She set the teapot in the center of the table and set Hatori's bowls in front of him. She hesitated, only for a second, and then approached Shigure's end of the table and set his bowls in front of him as well. Shigure looked up at her and gave her his most beatific smile. "W-would either of you like anything else?" she said.

"I think we're fine, thank you. Aren't we, Haa-san?" Shigure said, giving Hatori his most beatific smile as well.

"Yes, that will be all for now." Hatori said, and the girl left the room.

"She's rather cute, Hatori. I think she was overcome by my charm."

"It's more likely that she was overcome by your _smell_. As I said earlier, you're rather pungent, and it's getting warm in here."

Shigure looked down at his breakfast. "I really don't know why I wanted this. I have a headache and I feel rather sick. I hope I don't throw up."

Hatori put his hand to his head. _Speaking of having a headache …_ He said, quite firmly, "Shigure. You are _not _going to throw up. Not in my breakfast room, anyway. You can drink everyone we know under the table." He looked up. "Just how much _did_ you drink, anyway?"

"Much too much." Shigure seemed to have recovered his cheerful demeanor. "I think I'll just have some tea and see how that sits." He poured himself a cup. "If you must know what I did and where I was, _Mother_, I went out drinking, and somehow, miraculously, at around 3 AM, I found myself at the door of my old house. Again, miraculously, the key was right where I had left it; and so I let myself in. That's where I spent the night, or what was left of it. Oh, and Haa-san, you'll never guess who I was sharing the house with." Shigure grinned. "Yuki was there, with that little girlfriend of his – Machi, is it? We met, quite by accident, this morning. She's _adorable_ – she reminds me quite a bit of Tohru-kun. She and Yuki are _very_ cute together. Yuki was wearing his pajama bottoms, and Machi-chan was wearing his pajama top – and very little else, if I'm not mistaken …"

"I don't need to hear any more." Hatori said hastily. He couldn't help adding , "I'm sure that you, in your present condition, were a very … pleasant … addition to their morning; as you are to mine." He looked at his watch. "I have appointments in an hour or so. I was going to check on Akito, but now that you're here, I suppose I don't really have to. Or maybe the fact that you're here makes it more imperative that I _do_." He gave Shigure a stern look, but Shigure seemed unaffected by it.

"Ah, yes. My lovely bride-to-be. I knew that eventually the conversation would turn to her." Shigure leaned his elbow on the table, chin in hand. "As I said earlier, news certainly seems to travel fast in the Main House. I tend to forget that. So do tell. What did you hear? And from whom?"

Hatori sighed. "I was with Akito until after 1:00 this morning …"

"My, my," Shigure interrupted. "She _does_ move fast, doesn't she? But Haa-san, I'm surprised at you. I thought that you and Mayu-chan …"

"Don't be insulting. To any of us." Hatori cut him off sharply.

"I'm sure that Akito would be _thrilled_ to know that she still has at least one knight in shining armor among the fold." Hatori could see the amusement gleaming in Shigure's eyes. "You know, to defend her honor."

Hatori could feel his anger rising and he shoved it down. He knew from long experience that uncontrolled anger would get him nowhere with Shigure. "Let me revise that statement. Don't insult _me_. You seem to be quite adept at insulting Akito; and if you choose to dig your own grave in that respect, there's not much that I can do to stop you. If you want to insult yourself, I don't care."

"And Mayu-chan?"

"Leave Mayuko out of this conversation, Shigure. I'm serious." He reached for a cigarette and lit it.

Hatori knew Shigure well enough to realize that he was considering just how far to push this particular subject; and he almost saw the moment when Shigure decided to let it drop. "Well then, Haa-san. We've determined that you _most certainly _were not in Akito's rooms for illicit purposes. But I have a question for you. Just how long did it take her to go running to her 'pet Haa-san'? Ten minutes? Fifteen?"

Hatori was determined to keep his temper. He said, quite calmly, "Akito didn't call for me, Shigure. The old h- … that is, Tanaka-san came to get me at around quarter to 11, which I believe to be _quite a bit_ longer than ten or fifteen minutes after you left. She said that Akito was upset; actually, I believe 'distraught' was the term she used. She said that Akito had been crying for hours and that she wouldn't let any of her maids near her, not even Tanaka-san. She said that if anyone as much as stepped into the room Akito would start screaming and throwing things."

"Hmmm." Shigure gave Hatori a glance, shrugged, leaned over to reach for a cigarette, and said, in a manner that was a bit too cavalier for Hatori's liking, "Well. Yes, that's my girl." Hatori reached over and grabbed the cigarette out of his hand. Shigure looked up in surprise. "_What?_ You're having one."

Hatori gave him a withering look. "_I _didn't threaten to throw up all over my breakfast table. I had to clean up the mess you made last night. I'm _not_ about to clean up after you this morning." He paused. "I had to _medicate_ her, Shigure. I haven't seen her that upset since …well, for a long time. Since before the curse broke."

Shigure sat up, and Hatori noted the concern in his eyes. _Good._ "I assume she's all right, then?"

"She was sleeping when I left her last night. And yes, she had calmed down considerably. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left. I don't know how she is this morning. As I said earlier, I had planned on checking her; but then I had … um … unexpected company." Hatori smiled slightly. "If she wasn't all right this morning, I expect that I would have heard about it by now."

Shigure sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "Hatori," he said, "I realize that you have been _dying_ to lecture me ever since I showed up. However, as you've already noted, I am hung over, exhausted, and badly in need of a bath. If we are going to discuss how upset Akito was last night, and the inappropriateness of my behavior both last night and this morning, _I would very much like to have a goddamned cigarette. _Please."

Hatori paused, smiled inwardly, and tossed him one.

"Thank you _so_ much." Shigure lit it, leaned back in his seat and took a long drag. "Now, Haa-san, I'm totally at your mercy. Bring it on. Fire away."

Hatori sighed. "Don't be ridiculous, Shigure. I have no desire to 'lecture' you, as you so tactfully put it."

"Of course you do. You wouldn't be Haa-san, otherwise." With that, Shigure gave him a genuinely affectionate look, the first that Hatori had seen that morning.

_That look is precisely the reason that I let you get away with everything you say or do. _ Hatori sighed inwardly. _It always has been._ "Shigure …"

"Yes, Haa-san?" Shigure took another long drag, blew the smoke up at the ceiling, and gave Hatori that look again. "Now's your chance. You have my undivided attention. I promise."

_Perhaps he's ready to settle down and act like an adult. _"Shigure – do you _want _to mess up your life again?"

Shigure gave him a blank, innocent look. "I have absolutely no idea what you mean."

_And then again, perhaps not. _"Don't play stupid with me. You've spent the last few years pulling strings – manipulating people and situations – in order to clean up the mess you made and to get what you wanted."

Shigure leaned forward, eyes narrowed, and said, rather pointedly, "But didn't it benefit us _all_ in the end, Hatori? My so-called 'selfish' manipulation? I don't think you can deny that."

"I never said it didn't; but that's not the question here. Now you have _exactly_ what you want – what you've wanted ever since you were seven years old. Do you really want to have to start over again, all because of meanness and unfounded petty jealousy?"

Shigure blew out smoke and looked at Hatori levelly. "Last time, my jealousy was neither petty nor unfounded. The situation that arose was hardly my fault."

"The situation wasn't _entirely_ your fault, no. Certainly Akito and Kureno share the major part of the blame. However, you have to take responsibility for the way you responded to it. If you had acted differently, the outcome might have been very different. You can't imagine that you handled the situation in an appropriate manner."

Shigure looked away and said in a bitter tone, "No. It wasn't one of my more brilliant moves. I'll readily admit to that."

_There's no sense in getting him on the defensive, or he'll just put up his guard, and that will be the end of it. _ "Well, that was all in the past, and there's really not much sense in digging around in the past, is there?" Hatori said, in a calmer tone.

"_You _brought it up. I didn't." There was no affectionate look now, just one of annoyance.

_Tread carefully._ Hatori said, in the same calm but firm tone. "Your jealously may not have been petty and unfounded _then_, but I believe it _was_ last night. Akito has been working very hard to make amends for her past transgressions; she really has. Certainly you, of all people, must realize that."

"I do, Hatori; but sometimes I lose patience."

"Don't be absurd. Where Akito, and getting what you want, is concerned, you're the most patient man I've ever known. You've been waiting for this, and for her, for over twenty years."

Shigure, for once, was silent.

"Believe me, I know that Akito is not the easiest person to deal with. She never has been, and she never will be. All of us – me, you, Ayame, and Kureno – indulged her far too much for far too long. None of us can afford to indulge her anymore; I know that. She's a grown woman, not an errant child. But Shigure, she's making a tremendous effort to change, and it's obviously a struggle for her. If you truly intend on making her your wife, you must be prepared to control yourself. There's no need for cruelty. She deserves to be treated with gentleness and respect." Hatori paused, and then he said quietly, "You've been given a second chance. Make the best of it."

"Do you feel as if _you've_ been given a second chance as well, Haa-san?" Shigure said gently. Again, the look of genuine affection was evident on his face.

This took Hatori somewhat aback and made him vaguely uncomfortable. "We're not talking about _me_, Shigure."

"_Do_ you?"

Hatori studied the table for a minute. He said, without looking at Shigure, "If I should, I'm quite determined that nothing, not anyone, not anything, is going to stand in my way. Second chances are too damned hard to come by." He cleared his throat and looked at his watch. "I have my first appointment in twenty minutes. I have to go and get ready for it."

Shigure yawned and stretched. "Well. Now that I've been properly chastised, I suppose I'd better go and see how Akito is faring. Face the music, so to speak."

"Certainly you're not going to her looking and smelling like _that_."

"As I mentioned to you earlier, Hatori, I was hoping that I could use your bathroom to clean up."

_Things are back to normal. _"Shigure. You have your own bathroom. I don't want you making a mess of mine.

"But Haa-san, as I tried to tell you earlier, there's a slight problem. I haven't been using my bathroom much lately. I've moved almost all of my things into Akito's bathroom, as we frequently-"

"_Please_ spare me the details about what you and Akito do in the bath. I'm not interested in the slightest."

"You really are a prude, Hatori. No fun at all." Shigure shook his head. "Anyway, as I was saying, before you so rudely interrupted me, I have nothing in my bathroom with which to clean up. No soap, no shampoo, no toothpaste, no toothbrush, no towels."

"They weren't replenished?"

"Well, actually, I left the place in a bit of a mess …"

"Which is precisely why I don't want you using _my_ bathroom."

"You really should stop interrupting me, Hatori. It's _very_ rude. Anyway, the old hag was upset, and told the maids to just clean my bathroom and not to replenish my supplies, since I was sharing Akito's bathroom anyway. I don't think she likes me much."

"I certainly can't imagine _why_." Hatori paused. He raised an eyebrow."Tanaka-san _told_ you this?"

"Of course not. She's much too well-bred for _that_. I overheard the maids talking." Shigure shrugged, and continued in a pleading tone, "Hatori, I _absolutely _promise that I will _not_ leave your bathroom in a mess. Akito doesn't allow me to make a mess in hers. She's almost as fanatically neat as you are."

Hatori gave up. "Fine. Go ahead. I don't care."

"There's something else, Haa-san. I can't put these clothes back on. As you not-so-tactfully pointed out several times, they reek."

"Shigure. You are _not_ borrowing any of my clothes. You never return them in decent condition."

"I can hardly walk across the compound wrapped in a towel."

Hatori felt his patience slipping away. "All right, Shigure. You may borrow a yukata. And a pair of slippers. _But that's all_."

"What about underwear?"

"_Shigure! _NO!"

Shigure sighed dramatically and looked at the ceiling. "Just imagine, Hatori. I have to walk clear across the compound to get to my rooms. If an errant wind should come up, and some maids were walking by …"

"It would give them something new to talk about for all of five minutes, and you'd be immensely pleased."

"What if I should meet _my mother_ and the same thing happened?"

"She wouldn't see anything that she hasn't seen before."

" '_Sat-chan_?" Shigure's tone was quite pathetic.

Hatori looked at him in horror. "_Kisa?_ _For the love of heaven, Shigure!_ _Have some decency!"_

"That's _precisely_ what I'm trying to do, Haa-san, but you seem quite determined to hinder me." Shigure's expression was as pathetic as his voice had been, but the gleam in his eyes was absolutely wicked.

Hatori stared at him for what seemed like a very long second, and then put his hand over his mouth and started to laugh – really and truly laugh. "You are _incorrigible_…_and_ shameless …_and _a pervert …_and_ a manipulative bastard." He was shaking with the effort to control his mirth.

"Of course I am. I wouldn't be _me_, otherwise." Shigure was giving him that affectionate look again. "It's good to see you laugh, Haa-san." Then he said, smiling sweetly, "Does that mean that I can borrow your underwear?"

"_Borrow _is hardly an appropriate word to use when talking about someone else's underwear, Shigure." Hatori struggled to regain his composure. He continued, with an attempt at his usual stern demeanor, "If you feel that you absolutely _must_, go ahead, but I don't ever want to _see_ them again. Or _hear _of them again." He paused. "And rest assured that if you tell anyone, _even Akito_, I most certainly will kill you in a most unpleasant and lingering manner." Fully under control now, he got to his feet. "And now, I have to get to my appointments. I'm going to be late."

Shigure headed toward the bathroom, and Hatori paused at the door leading to the hall that led to his office. "Oh, and before you ask, there's a package of new toothbrushes in the second drawer. Do _not_ use mine_._"

"New toothbrushes? Oooh. Does that mean that you have the occasional, even frequent, overnight guest?"

"In this old building? Not a chance. The walls are paper thin." _Damn. _As soon as the words were out, Hatori realized their implication.

Shigure laughed until he choked. Gasping for breath, he said, "My, my, Haa-san, I guess you're not _quite _as much of a prude as one might deduce from your manner."

Hatori did his best to ignore that remark, and turned to go out the door. "I do _not_ want to see you here when I get back." All he got for a response was more laughter, which followed him all the way down the hall to his office.


	3. Later that morning

Author's note: There are no original characters in this story - Akito's elderly maid was a familiar character in the manga; and I chose to give her the name of Tanaka Miyoko, which is a fairly generic Japanese name, as it was easier for me to write about her if she had a name.

Comments, constructive criticism, and praise, however faint, are all greatly desired and will be appreciated.

~:~:~

Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki and Hakusensha; English-language versions by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga). This piece of fiction is in no way approved or endorsed by any of the copyright holders.

~:~:~

_Later that morning_

Akito sat at her table and attempted to read in order to distract herself from her thoughts, although after the events of the previous night, she was finding this to be a difficult task. This morning she had dressed in her old yukata and haori rather than in the Western-style clothes that she had lately, for the most part, adopted. The old clothes provided some sort of a sense of comfort, a sense of familiarity. She felt tired and depressed. She also felt angry and disappointed, both with Shigure and with herself. Akito was struggling to become a rational, controlled, _sane _woman; not the type who collapsed into a sobbing heap, and screamed, and threw things, as she had last night. Her hope had been that by now, she and Shigure could disagree, even argue, without the whole thing descending into nastiness and pettiness and childish actions. _It's not entirely my fault. He pushes me too far. He gets on my last nerve; and not only that, he enjoys it. _

The maid who had come to clear away Akito's half-eaten breakfast had partially opened the sliding shoji door that looked out into the garden, and although it was only late morning, Akito could feel the heat starting to come in. This irritated her, quite irrationally. _What's the matter with them? Don't they know that the heat makes me feel ill and headachy? You'd think that after all this time they'd have enough sense to keep the doors shut if it's going to get hot. _ She felt the unreasonable urge to get up and slam the door hard – so hard, in fact, that it would bounce violently back and forth and finally jump out of its slider and fall over. _That_ was a technique that she'd mastered at quite an early age.

She was trying to muster the energy to get to her feet when she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. _Shigure?_ Akito's body tensed and she instinctively moved into seiza. _I must be cool and proper, I must be dignified, I must …_

The footsteps stopped directly in front of her door, followed almost instantly by the rustle of kimono. _Miyoko. _Akito sighed.

"Now, now, Tanaka-san. I've come to see Akito. Do I have to move you out of the way?" Shigure spoke in his usual light tone.

_Silence._ Akito could almost see the old woman's withering look, and then, "No, Shigure-san. You will _not _enter Akito-san's room until I ask her permission. She may not want to see you."

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course she'll see me. Why wouldn't she? Come now_,_ Tanaka-san, be reasonable." Shigure's voice took on an all-too-familiar wheedling tone.

"Why _would_ she want to see you? After … after … _Shigure-san!"_ the old woman's voice rose in alarm and then she said, quite calmly, but still loudly, "If you touch me, I'll go and get Hatori-san."

"Ah, yes." Shigure said quietly. Akito had the satisfaction of noting that he sounded as tired and almost as irritable as she felt. "You _are_ quite adept at tattling private matters to Hatori-_san_, now aren't you, Tanaka-san? Fine, then. Have it your way. Would you please inform the head of the Sohma family that Sohma Shigure desires the honor of being allowed into her presence?"

Akito wanted to fling open the door and slap both of them.

Miyoko opened the door and slipped quietly into the room. "Akito-san, Shigure-san is here and he wants to see you."

"I know he's here. Everyone in this wing of the house probably knows he's here. Do you think I'm deaf?" Akito snapped.

Miyoko's face registered disapproval. "There's no need to be rude, Akito-san. I don't imagine you'll want to see him, will you?"

Akito felt her temper rising but kept her voice low. "Of course I'll see him! What is _wrong_ with you?" The old woman looked at her in surprise. "I'm not five years old, Miyoko, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me as if I was."

A hurt look flitted across the old maid's face, and she dropped her eyes, folded her hands and bowed. "As you wish, Akito-san. I'll send Shigure-san in directly." She turned to leave the room.

Akito sighed inwardly. She said in a much gentler tone, "I didn't mean to be rude, Miyoko. I know that you're just trying to protect me, but I can take care of myself, at least where Shigure's concerned."

The old woman turned around and said quietly, "I was very worried about you last night, Akito-chan. You haven't been like that in ever so long. That's the only reason I went to Hatori-san."

"I know. But I'm fine now. Truly." Miyoko went out of the room, and Akito put her head down on the table for a moment. _'Akito-chan?' She really __does__ think I'm still five years old. Honestly, the woman can be almost as manipulative and annoying as Shigure. _

She heard the door slide open, and Akito immediately sat up and resumed her proper sitting position. _I must not lose my temper. I must not allow him to goad me into that. I must retain my dignity._ She thought of her rage and subsequent breakdown last night, and cringed internally. She straightened her back and looked at him.

Shigure slid the door shut . He turned around, met her eyes, and smiled. His smile was a bit wary, but at least it was an honest one; it wasn't the fake one, the one that he had worn almost continuously during their estrangement. She looked back down at the table.

He crossed the room and seated himself on the side of the table nearest her, keeping only a bit of a distance between them. He was close enough that she could _smell_ him. He must have come directly from the bath, as he smelled of soap and shampoo and warm, damp hair. She pictured his hair curling around his ears and neck, going every which way, and a wave of desire rose in her, so strong, so unexpected, that she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She frantically stuffed the feeling down. _Stop it. If I give in to __that__, he'll have me in bed in five minutes; and after what he said to me last night? No._

"Are you too warm, Akito-_san_? You look positively flushed." He was sitting there with his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, looking at her knowingly.

_Damn him. _"No. Shut up. What do you want, anyway?" She looked away from him.

"There's no need to be rude, Akito-_san._" Shigure mimicked Miyoko's tone almost perfectly. He leaned in conspiratorially, "You'd better lower your voice. The old hag most likely has her ear to the door."

"I'll thank you not to speak of Miyoko that way. She's just looking out for me."

"Oh, but rumor has it that you can take care of yourself where I'm concerned. Isn't that right, Akito-_chan?_" She looked at him in surprise; and in return, he gave her a perfectly innocent look. "What? _I'm_ not deaf, either."

Her mouth dropped open. _Damn these paper-thin walls. And damn Miyoko. And most of all, damn, damn, __damn__ Shigure. _ Akito closed her eyes and put her hand to her forehead for a moment, and then she mustered up every bit of self-control she possessed, looked at him and said calmly, "I'm very tired, Shigure. Why did you come here? Other than to torment me, I mean? What do you want?"

Surprisingly enough, he looked back at her and said quite seriously, "I wanted to see if you were all right. Hatori said that you were … upset."

"You talked to Hatori. About me." It was a flat statement, not a question. _How very humiliating._

"I did. And if it gives you the slightest bit of satisfaction, it appears that he was much kinder to you than he was to me." Shigure gave her a wry smile. "There's nothing _quite_ like having to endure one of Haa-san's lectures when one is hung over, exhausted, and badly in need of a bath."

Hearing that _did_ give her good bit of satisfaction, but she'd be damned if she'd let him know it. By this time, Akito was getting rather tired of sitting in seiza and her feet were getting numb, but she shifted her position, straightened her back, lifted her chin, and said, with as much dignity as she could muster, "Is that all? If you came here to see if I'm all right, yes, I'm all right. You can leave now."

He looked at her for a moment, and then looked away. "Actually, I thought you might have a few things that you wanted to say to me, yourself."

This took Akito totally by surprise. She stared at Shigure, but he seemed to be very busy studying something in the garden. _Did he just give me an opening?_ She looked down at her tightly clenched her hands and said softly, "That was a horrible thing you said to me – about Kureno. And it was totally unfair."

There was a pause and finally he said quietly, "Ah. I'm not a nice person, Akito. I can be childish, and selfish, and petty and mean. You know that just as well as anyone does. Perhaps better than anyone else does." His voice was serious, without a hint of mockery. "But _totally_ unfair? I'm not sure I …"

"It _was_ unfair!" she burst out. "I'd _never_ be unfaithful to you!"

"Oh." Shigure gave her a level look. "Really? _Never?_"

The blood rushed to Akito's cheeks once again. "You know what I mean! Not now. Not since we've been together." She paused and then she said, "We weren't together then. Not really."

His eyes narrowed. "I was of a distinctly different opinion. If I'm not mistaken, we were 'together' in the most intimate of ways. Several times, in fact."

Her cheeks were flaming now, and she could feel her temper rising. "Yes, we _were_ 'together' in that way. And that's the _only_ way we were together. You rarely came to see me. You were always too busy with this or that. And when you did come, that's all you came for."

Shigure's eyes widened, and he appeared to be honestly taken aback by that statement. "_Akito!_ That's not true. Why would you think …"

"Because you never spent any time with me other than that!" She looked down and hesitated. "And then … later … I heard that you were going out with that girl – Shiraki Mayuko, the teacher, the one who Hatori's seeing now. What was I _supposed_ to think?"

Shigure blinked. A moment later he laughed a bit uneasily, looked at the ceiling and ran his hand through his hair. "So. You knew about Mayu-chan?"

"You're not the only one who listens to the servants' gossip."

"Akito. _Darling._" He rubbed his forehead and looked at her, smiling slightly. "There was absolutely nothing to _that_. If you knew how innocent it was…." He sighed. "I never even touched her. If you don't believe _me_, ask _her_. Ask Hatori. Ask Aya. She dumped me after a month; she said I was cold to her."

Akito considered this. "Then why? Why did you go out with her at all?"

"Honestly, I don't know. She liked Hatori …" Shigure shook his head. "I don't know, Akito." He looked at her and the expression on his face was one of dawning awareness. "Is _that_ why you went to Kureno? Because of _Mayu_?"

"No." She said shortly. "I didn't sleep with Kureno for revenge. I'm not _you_, Shigure."

He narrowed his eyes once again, and echoed her annoyed tone. "Then I'll return your question. Why?"

Suddenly Akito felt very tired and on the verge of tears. Her feet were really numb by this time and she moved out of seiza, and sat with her legs in front of her, knees bent. She wrapped her arms around her legs and put her head on her knees. _I don't care. I don't want to be proper. He doesn't allow me much dignity, anyway. _This had always been her "comfort position" when she was distressed and she felt as if she was putting a wall of protection around herself. _Is there really a point to this conversation? Perhaps Mother was right, and curse or no curse, bond or no bond, eventually, everyone will leave me. Even him. _ She lifted her head and said tiredly, "I can't tell you why. I don't … I don't know." Akito shook her head. She was close to tears. _I will not cry_. "Kureno was here … he was _always_ here. He was comforting." She took a deep breath_. I will not cry_. "_I don't know why_, Shigure; it just happened and I wish it hadn't, for everyone's sake, but it did, and no one can do anything about it now." She said the last sentence all in a rush and the next breath caught in her chest and came out sort of hiccup-y. _Oh, I don't want to cry._

Shigure was looking at her solemnly, and Akito couldn't quite fathom what it was that she saw in his face. _Sadness? Regret, perhaps? Oh, no, certainly not regret._ He was silent, almost as if he was at a loss for words. _No, certainly not __that__, either. Not Shigure. He's just thinking of a suitable retort, although he's uncharacteristically slow on the draw this time. _"Will you ever forgive me, Shigure? For Kureno? For everything? Because if you don't trust me, and you can't forgive me, I can't be with you. I know that there are many among us who most likely will never forgive me; but I can't be married to one of them. I _won't_." She could feel the tears prickling behind her eyes now, and they spilled out despite her best efforts to hold them back. _Fuck this. Fuck it all. _ She put her head down on her knees once again.

Shigure sighed audibly, and then she felt him stroke her hair. "Akito, for once, listen to me." She looked up at him, and she was surprised to see something that did, indeed, look very much like regret in his eyes. He tucked a lock of tear-dampened hair behind her ear, ran his fingers down the length of her jaw, and cupped her face in his hand for a moment before wiping away her tears with his thumb. "We both have much to forgive each other, don't you think?" he said gently. "And we most certainly will have more to forgive in the future, don't you imagine? I can if you can. I will if you will." He reached down on the floor beside him. "And look – I've brought you something." He looked at the object that he held in his hand for a moment and then gently put it down in front of her. "It seems to be a bit wilted from the heat. I can get you another, if you'd like. The garden is full of them."

Akito looked at the rather bedraggled flower in front of her and felt her wall start to crumble. "What's _this_?" she said.

"Why, Akito, I'm surprised at you. I thought you knew the names of all of the flowers in your garden. It's a _camellia_." She looked at him and saw a spark of amusement in his eyes.

"I know what it _is_. What's it _for_?"

"I thought you might be angry, so I picked it on the way over. I was hoping you'd remember." Her wall was fast becoming a pile of rubble.

_Oh yes, I remember. I remember a warm summer's day very much like this one, so long ago. I remember a solemn, insecure, seven-year-old girl, who asked her older cousin a question; and who, in return, received a camellia, an answer, and a kiss on the cheek, all of which made her blush. I remember how the girl kept that memory and those words in her heart, long after she thought that they had been proven false and that he had forgotten them. I remember her happiness when she discovered that he remembered them as well as she did, and that after all those years, his answer remained the same. _ Akito smiled and fingered the camellia's petals gently. "Shigure," she said, "Do you love me?"

Without hesitation, he answered the woman the same way that he had answered the child: "I care about you, more than I care about anyone; and _that_ is the honest and unshakable truth. I love you, Akito." He kissed her then; but since she was no longer seven, he didn't kiss her cheek, but her mouth, warm and sweet and deep. Her wall crumbled completely away like a pile of dust scattered by the wind.

He pulled her into his lap, and buried his face in her hair. "I love you, Akito." She turned her face up to him, and he kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose and then her mouth again. She snuggled under his chin, and they sat like that for a while in the sultry midday heat. She could hear the sound of cicadas, and smell the heavy scent of the flowers in the garden through the opening in the door.

"Shigure?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm tired."

"Shall I put you to bed, Akito-_chan_?"

"I guess so."

"Can I come too?"

"I guess so."

"Will you go right to sleep, like a good girl?"

"I don't think so."

_~fin_

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